Technical Brief: Hub-Only Pipeline Topology (HOPT) – India’s New Carbon-Management Architecture

In the Hub-Only Pipeline Topology (HOPT), carbon dioxide is captured in solid form at multiple emitters within an industrial cluster and transported to a shared central regional regeneration hub. At the hub, the solid sorbent is thermally regenerated—releasing pure CO₂ gas for compression or utilization—while the regenerated sorbent is returned to the emitters for reuse. Because only the hubs handle gaseous CO₂, the national network requires pipelines connecting approximately only the hubs (approximately 150 across India) instead of thousands of individual emitters, reducing total pipeline length by more than 50%. Emitters are thus relieved from on-site CO₂ management, as carbon is captured, stored, and moved safely in solid form.